Customer Spotlight: Taylor Blair

College/Unit: Enrollment Management

Describe what you and/or your team does at UK.

The orientation and outreach office is responsible for the more than 30 virtual and in-person Big Blue Nation Orientations that we host annually. The office also supports other outreach programs, such as serving as the state office for the Kentucky Science Olympiad. As a member of both the Offices of Undergraduate Admissions and First-year Experience, I have a special opportunity to support and share in the experiences of high school students from the time they begin considering UK, through their orientation process, into their first year at the University of Kentucky, and beyond.

Talk about the ways you’ve collaborated with ITS and how it impacted your work.

I know I echo many of my colleagues when I say that UK ITS was a significant, unwavering partner when we made changes to our orientation programs last year. In just a week, we moved an in-person Merit Weekend orientation (set to host 400 students) to a fully online program with tools that included Zoom, Canvas and Microsoft Teams. The ITS team has always been at the forefront of helping us find solutions both in times of immediate need; like in spring 2020, and in times where we’re doing some long-term, forward-thinking. Our office spends a lot of time considering how we might reduce barriers for students to attend and access UK, and ITS has been an integral part of that work.